Survival (Crossover with Silent Hill)
by Electric Blue
Summary: Everything is connected. Sometimes your involved, whether you like it or not. (COMPLETED! PLEASE REVIEW!)
1. Crash and Burn

Survival  
Fanfic by Kathryn Grover  
***  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own ReBoot or Silent Hill.......Oh yeah, did I fail to   
mention that this is a CROSSOVER fic? *evil grin*  
  
***  
  
Notes: Let's face it. Nearly every fanfic I've run into that tries to tell   
a story about what happened just after Game Over ends up the same way.   
They get to a hospital, and some binome or sprite comes in and tells Enzo:   
"Oh yeah, we can fix yer' eye. We can hook a gun up to it too!" Gimmie a   
break. First of all WHO IS GOING TO SAY THAT TO A KID? Second of all, who   
says the first system they'd land in would be your perfect community?  
  
Another note: Don't expect a walkthrough of the game Silent Hill.   
Althought the order starts out similar, I'm not duping the puzzles. :)  
  
***  
Chapter 1  
Crash and Burn  
***  
  
A familiar electronic roar sounded as the game cube shot into the sky. The   
roar was replaced by something else.  
  
What was that sound? The sound was completely new to her ears. A sound so   
light that the ears of a normal sprite would never pick it up.  
  
The feeling was unlike she'd ever experienced. The atmosphere was wet,   
yet dry. It wasn't like her former underwater home, and it wasn't   
like what she'd seen in Mainframe either.   
  
White flakes fell lightly around her, only to melt as they hit the ground.   
The atmosphere was cold and damp, and a fog hung around a row of low   
houses, all fenced off by high stucco walls.   
  
She couldn't see farther than a few meters, but the streets appeared   
deserted. The neighborhood she was in kinda reminded her of the houses   
she'd seen in that racoon game..........  
  
Wait, back to that thought. There weren't houses like that in Mainframe!   
Where were they?   
  
A cold wet nose nudged her hand. Frisket. That brought her back to   
reality. She looked around.   
  
Behind her, Enzo was slowly getting up off the ground.............or   
trying. After losing the game, it was too hard for him to get up. Not only   
had the user torn his face, but that final punch had damaged his   
ribcage. While the game was idle, she'd managed to help stop the bleeding   
on his face. Now where he eye once was, was a mess of scabs and dried   
blood. She wondered which was more painful, the damaged eye or the broken   
ribs. He was starting to look unbelievably pale.   
  
She held out her hand, and he responded with a weak smile as she pulled   
him to his feet.  
  
"What is this place?" he asked, panting. He wrapped his arms around his   
chest, as if to keep it from falling apart.  
  
"I don't know. Enzo, what's that?"  
  
"What's what?"  
  
"That white stuff."  
  
"Looks like Snow."  
  
"Snow?"  
  
"Yeah, remember that game we were in with the snowmen?"  
  
"That's the same stuff? But this stuff is melting."  
  
"Yeah, there's something wierd about it. It's too warm for snow."  
  
"Warm?"  
  
"Relatively speaking. We didn't get a lot of storms in Mainframe, but Bob   
told me a long time ago that he'd seen stuff like this in other systems."  
  
He hung his head, and they were silent for awhile.  
  
"Enzo, why aren't we in Mainframe?"  
  
"Game servers. That's where the games come from. Any system on the 'net   
can acess them."  
  
"So this is a different user?"  
  
"I guess."  
  
"You were expecting this?"  
  
Enzo sighed, and looked at her.  
  
"Andraia, Bob used to tell me a lot about the 'net and how it works. The   
'net is huge, and most of the systems are closed systems, not servers or   
ports. We'll probably never see Mainframe again."  
  
That was as much as his words said. But his face told what he really   
thought. He was expecting his own death in this dead system. They both   
knew that he needed medical attention, badly. And it didn't look like he   
would get it here.  
  
"But there has to be a way back, right?"  
  
"I.........I'm not sure." He shivered, and closed his good eye. Andraia   
saw his expression change. He was fighting back tears, doing everything he   
could to keep her calm, even though he was scared out of his mind. But the   
initial panic of finding herself away from home was gone. The only thing her   
mind now, was making sure he would survive until the next game cube landed.   
It was her turn to be comforting.  
  
"We should find someplace warm," she said, putting her arm around his   
shoulder.  
  
"Something tells me that isn't gonna be easy," Enzo said while looking at   
Glitch.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"The power in the city is gone and apparently they've got some kind of   
virus here. The fact that there's no people worries me. There's some kind of   
creatures around, but according to Glitch, there's only 8 PIDs in the   
entire system, including us."  
  
"We have to find some kind of shelter though. You can't last like this. If   
this system is abandoned, they probably won't mind us going into one of   
those houses."  
  
"Yeah, probably not."  
  
"Maybe there'll be bandages we can use. Maybe some blankets."  
  
"Yeah, sure," Enzo said without much enthusiasm, his head hanging. Andraia   
noticed that his face seemed a shade paler than before. He was trying so   
hard to hide his pain.........and it wasn't working. He looked almost as   
white as the snowflakes.  
  
They went up to one of the houses, but something was wrong.  
  
Andraia noticed that the strange sound was getting slightly louder. To her   
ears anyway...........  
  
Frisket started growling.  
  
"What is it, Frisket?" Enzo asked, just before Glitch went crazy. Sounds   
of static and high pitched whines came from the keytool.  
  
Andraia's eyes darted around, and saw shadows in the fog. Shapes of   
strange, batlike creatures started to surround them. Smaller shapes, what   
appeared to be mid-sized dogs, also surrounded them.  
  
Frisket immediately jumped at the creatures. Andraia fired her crossbow at   
one of the bat-like creatures. It fell over, but there were many more. She   
tapped one of the small capsules at her side, and it expanded into a new   
set of arrows. Before she could reload, though, something hit her in the   
side of the head. 


	2. I can't be near you......

***  
Chapter 2  
I can't be near you.........  
***  
  
She opened her eyes to find herself on a couch of some kind. After a brief   
moment of confusion, she remembered Enzo and sat up with a start.  
  
She was in an abandoned restaurant. She saw the shadow of a tall figure   
across the room.  
  
"You alright, kid?" The voice was female.  
  
"Where's Enzo?"  
  
"Enzo? Whozzat?"  
  
"He was with me. I have to find him, he's hurt!"  
  
"Oh, you mean this?"  
  
The lady came out into the light holding a small object. It was Glitch.  
  
"No, that's Glitch."  
  
"I'm afraid this is all I found near you. You were lying in the middle of   
the street. What is this thing? Some kind of robot? It seems to be alive   
somehow."  
  
"It's a keytool."  
  
The lady stared back at her with curious blue eyes. Her skin was a light   
yellow color, and her hair was orange. She wore ragged remains of some   
kind of uniform.  
  
"Keytool. Never heard of keytools. It looks like it's been through a war."  
  
Andraia remembered what Enzo had said about closed systems. They wouldn't   
know what keytools were.  
  
Andraia looked around. There was no sign of Frisket either. With the   
exception of Glitch, she was alone.  
  
"I'm going off to see if there's anybody else left. You're the first   
person I've seen in seconds. I'm hoping there's others. Stay here while I   
go look."  
  
"I have to find Enzo. He's hurt. I don't know how long he'll last out   
there."  
  
"You wouldn't last against those monsters."  
  
"That's why I need to find him. He has even less of a chance......."  
  
The lady smiled.  
  
"I guess you don't have much of a choice, do you? Even if I found anybody   
else, there's hardly any sprites left since the infection."  
  
"What happened here?"  
  
"There was supposed to be an upgrade...........the file arrived, and then   
we opened it. There was this flash..........I don't remember anything   
after that. When I woke up, I was under a cardboard box, the principal   
office was deserted, and everything was like this." The sprite looked away   
for a moment, then turned to Andraia again. "Listen, I'll head back to the   
PO and get some supplies together, just in case there's anyone left. All   
the scanners are dead so I don't know what else I can do. If you see   
ANY other people, send them my way. Just promise you'll be careful, alright?"  
  
"Yes. I promise."  
  
"Thanks. See ya-round."  
  
The sprite left quickly.  
  
With the exception of Glitch, Andraia was alone.  
  
Wait...............Glitch......Maybe......  
  
"Glitch?"  
  
The keytool beeped a small greeting in response.  
  
"Cool. I thought keytools only talked to guardians."  
  
The keytool beeped somewhat angrily. *I thought you knew me better than   
that, Andraia.*  
  
"Oh, sorry. Do you know where Enzo is?"  
  
Some kind of map appeared on the small screen. After a small amount of   
time, a small dot appeared near a location on the map.  
  
An elementary school? What would Enzo be doing there?  
  
The keytool started to buzz with interference again as the screen went   
blank. Something was outside the window. She readied her crossbow again,   
waiting for whatever was outside.  
  
It was one of the bat-creatures. It smashed through the window. Small   
pieces of glass flew at her, cutting her lightly. It was hovering right   
over her head. Almost instincively, her spines extended and she jumped,   
digging her fingernails right into the creature's chest. It fell to the   
ground, limp.  
  
The interference on the keytool stopped immediately.  
  
Andraia stared at her hand. The previously extended fingernails had   
detatched themselves from her hand, and had embedded themselves in the   
small monster before her. Just to try it, she extended her fingernails   
again. It worked.   
  
So her spines could regenerate as she needed? She couldn't believe she   
didn't notice this before.  
  
Sighing, she took one last look at the restaurant, and left. 


	3. I'm gonna rescue you......

***  
Chapter 3  
I'm gonna rescue you......  
***  
  
It was quiet.  
  
Too quiet.  
  
Only the vague, barely detectible high pitched sound from whatever   
creatures were out there existed.  
  
Occasionally the sound would grow stronger, only to die off into near   
silence.  
  
She hated that silence. Even more than the creepy sounds from the   
monsters. At least the monsters were alive. This city seemed dead.  
  
To make things even spookier, various sections of the city had sunken in,   
as if an earthquake had happened. Occasionally, the roads would end in a   
cliff, with no visible ledges or ground underneath.  
  
She had wandered the same 6 blocks of the city for seemingly forever, with   
no way out. She was sure that a zipboard wouldn't work without power in   
the city, and all Glitch could provide was a map. She found some   
abandoned supplies, but nothing else. There didn't seem to be any way to   
the school. In frustration, she sat down on the steps of a small house,   
to think about what to do next.  
  
Then that noise again. Faint in her ears, and then louder. Glitch's map   
dissappeared and the static appeared again.  
  
Animals about half her size surrounded her. They vaguely looked like   
dogs, but had no fur. They looked a bit like the bat creatures for that   
matter.  
  
Standing up, she loaded her crossbow. The animals attacked and her world   
slowed to almost a stop. She dodged and fired as the animals lunged at   
her.  
  
Shoot, hit, reload...........This sequence played out multiple times until   
the last one fell at her feet. They shattered into a million pieces as   
their disk space was recycled. The static and high pitched whine ended   
as slowly as it began. She sat down to catch her breath before   
gathering her arrows, then decided it was time to try again to find a way   
out of the plateu she'd been trapped on. She wondered if she could get   
through to the other side from behind the houses.  
  
A car sat in the middle of the road, diagonally, door hanging open, as if   
it had been abandoned in haste. Out of curiosity, she looked inside,   
finding a keyring, with a housekey. Sudden inspiration hit her,   
and thinking of the various things she'd heard people kept in cars, she   
looked through the glove compartment, finding insurance   
papers............and the address of the car's owner.  
  
And the house the car belonged to was right behind her. Checking Glitch,   
she learned that going through the house would theoretically lead to   
another street, provided the land behind the house wasn't gone as well.  
  
She entered the house, to find a dojo. Swords were hung on the walls,   
similar to the ones Mouse used to use. For a moment, she stared at the   
walls in awe.  
  
Finally, she picked up a sword. The katana's weight felt uneasy since she   
was just a kid. She took a few practice swings, and gaped as the sword   
slashed right through a table.  
  
An accident with this thing could be deadly.  
  
She looked around again, eyes falling on a small compressed file,   
containing a first aid kit. She slapped the first aid kit to her belt,   
then made her way out the back door. 


	4. How'd you stay alive?

***  
Chapter 4  
How'd you stay alive?  
***  
  
Darkness. She'd never seen anything like it. Just pure darkness.  
  
Her eyes adjusted to an infared mode. Yet another advantage of being a   
former game sprite.   
  
And then there was sound.  
  
Buzzing, whining, an infinite number of the creatures were somewhere in   
the dark. Some far away, and others very close by. Glitch began to freak   
out again as the sound of flapping could be heard above.  
  
Andraia slashed at the sound.  
  
Something fell with a disturbing squish sound as the keytool went silent   
again. She shuddered, and for once, was thankful for the darkness.  
  
Her eyes fully adjusted, she found the back gate, and a road behind it.   
The ground here was intact. Able to see faint outlines of the buildings,   
she ran. More sounds, more static, more thuds on the pavement. She didn't   
stop until she reached an intersection. The school was to the right.   
  
Keep running......................keep running.......................  
  
More of the doglike creatures guarded the entrance to the school. She   
slowly approached, sword ready. The dogs crept toward her, growling. One   
jumped, her sword came down, and the dog fell in half. The other one,   
attacked, and it too was soon destroyed.   
  
Once behind the school doors, she collapsed as mental and physical   
exhaustion overtook her. The adrenaline rush gone, she was left with a   
headache like she'd never known before. In the quiet of the school   
building, she was able to think about the events of the day.  
  
She'd killed something. Yes, monsters, but they were alive.  
  
Were......  
  
Bloodstains were left behind where the monsters once were. Luckily their   
corpses dissolved almost immediately. She wouldn't want to have to   
look at them more than neccesary. Still the entire situation had been   
too real.  
  
Not like the games.  
  
In the games, the blood was minimal. This was just too real. And yet, it   
was too unreal.  
  
It was surreal. Like some crazy nightmare.  
  
Only question.........who's nightmare?  
  
Gathering herself, and remembering why she was here, she stood up. She was   
in a small entryway with doors on either side, lit only by a small battery   
run emergency light, which flickered on the verge of fizzing out. She   
took a deep breath as she opened the doors into the inner hallway.  
  
The hallways was quiet. Just quiet. The only sound she had was her   
footsteps. There were no lights, no power. Not even heat. The only aid   
she had to see around her was the backlight from the keytool. And then the   
sound came. The familiar high pitched whine was very soft at first, but   
then much louder. And then static.   
  
And then everything went dark as the backlight from the keytool faded.   
Andraia readied her sword as soft, almost inaudible footsteps and groans   
accompanied the high pitched squeals and static. She heard something   
behind her, and swiped in that direction. Something fell to the ground and   
a door fell open, a small amount of light coming from the room on the   
other side. Something swiped at her leg, cutting her while the broken door   
distracted her. Another slash from the sword, and whatever had attacked   
her was dead. She saw a small flicker of light as the corpses dissolved.  
  
The static was gone, and Glitch returned to its semi-functional state. She   
could still hear noises, but they were far away. Either outside the   
building, or behind walls.   
  
It was as if she couldn't decide whether she liked it noisy or quiet. She   
wished she could tune out the noises of the monsters. On the other hand, she   
couldn't stand the idea of being alone in a dead system with only a   
keytool for company. Her mind was in total confusion. What should she do?  
  
Find Enzo and get out of here.  
  
Sighing, she looked around. The hallway had a door on either end, with   
several doorways randomly placed down the length of the hall.  
  
She was thankful for wearing swimming shoes. They made no noise as she   
walked. This would make her movements silent, possibly enabling her to   
sneak past whatever was around the school.  
  
She heard a scream in the distance, somewhere in the school. It was a   
voice she knew. One she knew well.  
  
She tried one of the end doorways. It was locked. She tried hitting the   
door with her sword, only to discover that it was protected by some kind   
of forcefield.  
  
With a sigh, she tried the other doors in the hallway. The door she'd   
accidentally slashed open earlier led to a nurse's office. Andraia noted   
the location for later, just in case she found Enzo. She didn't know if   
she wanted to risk taking him outside.  
  
Another door, leading to the schools' office was open, but it turned up   
empty. Just as she was about to leave, she spotted something that looked   
like a note.  
  
"I know you. I walked with you once upon a dream. Who's nightmare is it   
anyway?"  
  
Odd thing to write on a piece of paper. Another note:  
  
"Knock Knock  
Who's there?  
Isadore  
Isadore who?  
Isadore locked?  
I need a key.  
Pianos have keys."  
  
"Oh.........kay..." Andraia said outloud. Geez that   
was..........um..stupid? Strangely enough, she had the feeling that she   
was supposed to find this piano.  
  
No other notes were around, so she left the room and tried the other doors   
in the hall. Nothing else would open but a door leading into the   
courtyard at the center of the school.  
  
Immediately, her ears were assaulted by the familiar high pitched whine   
the monsters made. She'd heard them before, but here, it was much louder.   
Glitch fizzled immediately, and the small amount of light she had was   
gone. Something was around her. Like the creatures in the hall. Adjusting   
her vision in the dark, she was surrounded by creatures about the size of   
binomes. And like the ones in the hall, they were armed.  
  
Something slashed at her, and she dodged. She swiped with her sword and   
heard the sound of something hitting the ground. Another swipe and another   
creature fell dead. Yet they continued to attack. These creatures knew   
nothing of fear. Several more slashes, and she was relieved as Glitch's   
backlight came back on. Looking around, there were several park benches   
and bushes, a clock tower, and a door directly across from where she'd   
entered the courtyard.   
  
And more of the noises were coming from the direction of that other door.  
  
But there was another sound too. The sound of a fight. Somebody else was   
fighting the monsters!  
  
As she neared the door, the backlight on the keytool went off yet again.   
The noises stopped and the light came on just as her hand reached the   
door.  
  
Another sound. Panting, growling..............  
  
She threw the door open to find........... 


	5. I watch you slip away.......

***  
Chapter 5  
I watch you slip away....  
***  
  
"FRISKET!"   
  
The dog whined happily and smothered her with doggie drool.   
  
"Frisket, cut it out, now's not the time........." she said while   
laughing. Gee, it felt strange to laugh in such a situation. "Have you   
seen Enzo?"  
  
The dog looked at her for a moment, before hanging his head. He then   
looked at her with that sad puppy face, and gave a soft whine.  
  
"It's okay Frisket. We'll find him. I'm so glad you're here. Have you seen   
a piano?"  
  
The dog just looked at her like she'd grown another head.  
  
"You don't understand me, do you?"  
  
The dog whined.  
  
"That's okay. Let's see where these other doors go."  
  
Doors directly across from the courtyard doors led to another entryway.   
Andraia could hear that high pitched whine. Softly at first, but growing.   
She readied her sword as Glitch went dark again. Frisket growled.  
  
But nothing was there. Even infared vision turned up nothing. The whine   
was there, but no footsteps. What she did hear were mouselike squeaks.  
  
"I wish I had a flashlight.............." she said.  
  
The sound slowly dissappeared.  
  
This would definitely complicate things if the sounds weren't always   
linked to something bent on attacking her. Best to be on guard, no matter   
what.  
  
There was nothing else in the entryway, and she knew she had to stay here,   
so they went back to the hallway.  
  
Upon opening another door, she found herself in another hallway, near a   
flight of stairs. Sounds and small monsters surrounded her.  
  
And it was dark. So dark...........  
  
Before she could even lash out, Frisket was upon them. Not wanting to hurt   
the dog, she turned the other way, where more of the monsters were   
approaching. They were quickly destroyed.  
  
The light came back on. Frisket trotted back over toward her, and stood   
close in a protective manner, growling. The sounds of the monsters had   
dissappeared. Completely.  
  
Thank goodness there was nothing else in the hall. More doors. A   
staircase. What to do?   
  
Another door led to the hallway she had started at. Others led to   
bathrooms. While in the bathroom, she could swear that she heard the sound   
of crying coming from the next room, but upon entering, she found nothing.  
  
Frisket whined. She left the bathroom, confused.  
  
Other doors, leading to classrooms, were locked, so she tried the stairs.  
  
The hallway she found was almost identical. There were more stairs leading   
upward, but she tried the hall first.  
  
Frisket growled. Andraia couldn't hear any more of the monsters' sounds   
close by, but she felt a chill run down her spine. Something was up.  
  
The classrooms and even the bathrooms were locked. Only one door was open,   
and it led to another hallway.  
  
Windows allowed a view of the courtyard. There were two classroom doors,   
and one door to another hallway.  
  
And what did she find behind the first door she opened?   
  
A piano.   
  
Okay, a piano. Now what?  
  
On the chalkboard, another note?  
  
"Sometimes the promise is more comfort than the fulfillment of it."  
  
A promise and a piano? Now what?  
  
Wait a sec. Something.............  
  
***  
*Flashback*  
***  
  
Her first second in Mainframe had been more exciting than anything she'd   
ever known in her life. In her programming was the desire to learn everything   
she could, and this entire new world she had never seen before was like a   
potent drug. Surges of endorphins flowed through her body as she took in every   
new sight and sound of what, to her, was a huge city.  
  
It took milliseconds before they could calm her down enough to take her   
back to the diner. In the basement of the restaurant was a huge apartment,   
a living room with big soft armchairs, a kitchen with all kinds of   
gadgets, a terminal in which hundreds of works of fiction were stored, an   
entertainment center with a TV.........  
  
A shelf with small boxes stacked inside. While Dot went around trying to   
set up a guest room, she studied a box. When she opened it, inside was a   
shiny disc, that shimmered with all the colors of a rainbow.  
  
She ran up to Enzo to show him. He smirked.   
  
"That's a CD."  
  
"What is it for?"  
  
He took the disc from her, and walked up to the TV. Pressing a button on   
one of the black boxes under it, a drawer slid open. He put the disc   
inside, and the drawer shut.  
  
She stood in awe as the sound surrounded her. Hundreds of sounds,   
mathmatically patterned and placed in space and time formed a beautiful   
assault on her sense of sound.  
  
Surprised and awed by it, she stepped backward and leaned on what she   
thought was a table. The music was interrupted by more notes interjected   
strangely into the math. She turned around to find a keyboard. She pressed   
a button, and heard a note similar to one of the notes coming from the CD.   
She tried another...........and another...........  
  
Dot returned to find her brother standing slackjawed as Andraia played the   
piano along with the music, perfectly matching each note.  
  
Later on, Andraia looked at the CD. Near track one, it had the label "The   
Promise".  
  
***  
*End Flashback*  
***  
  
Andraia turned to the piano. Staring at it for a moment. A flashlight sat   
on top of it. That wasn't there before. A warm feeling rushed through   
her, the same feeling she had when Enzo smiled.  
  
"Frisket? I have the strangest feeling that Enzo is trying to help me find   
him. I don't know how, but I think he is."  
  
The dog whined in confusion. Andraia walked up to the piano, and began to   
play.  
  
She lost herself in the music, playing every note by memory. Happy   
memories running through her mind, and happy hopes for the future. She   
would find Enzo, and they would survive. She'd get out of this dead system   
and go back to the games. She'd take him to a system where he'd get   
better. And maybe someday, they would go home.  
  
But as she finished the last note, the monster sounds came back, louder   
than ever, as if they were surrounding her. She felt suddenly cold, very   
cold. Frisket growled, but instead of his usual angry growl, it was a   
frightened one. And once again, the keytool fizzed out.  
  
She grabbed the flashlight and opened the hallway door, to find the walls   
of the hallway decaying in front of her. Pieces of missing wall were   
replaced by chain link fence, which was covered in some type of rotting,   
organic, animal matter. The floor had been replaced by a metal grate.   
Pumping veins ran through pieces of the wall. Pipes were everywhere. And   
the entire scene was colored in the reddish brown of dried blood.  
  
She did the only thing she could think of. She SCREAMED. 


	6. Help Me Please

***  
Chapter 6  
Help me, Please  
***  
  
Andraia stared at the scene in front of her in a state of pure horror.  
  
She wanted to close the door, shut it out, but when she turned around, she   
found the room in the exact same state as the hallways outside. On the   
blackboard, which was covered in goo and had fallen on the floor, were   
these words: "Told you so."  
  
This puzzled her, until she remembered what USED to be written on the   
board "Sometimes the promise is more comfort than the fullfillment of it."  
  
Then she remembered the note she had found earlier.  
  
"Pianos have keys...."  
  
The music had been the key to...................wherever this was. This   
whole situation was some kind of puzzle. And this puzzle knew her. It   
WANTED her to solve it.  
  
"Enzo........" she whispered quietly.  
  
Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the hallway. Her steps made a   
hollow tapping sound as she moved. Whatever was on the floor was sticky,   
so she felt a slight pull on her shoe with each step. Frisket followed   
closely, and quietly behind. The dog seemed genuinely afraid.  
  
The noise was driving her crazy. The electronic whine of the monsters, and   
all the sounds they made moving around, were spooky, disgusting, and   
overwhelming.   
  
She ducked into the first doorway she saw, and was surrounded by about   
five of them. Now having a flashlight, she could see what they looked   
like. They were small, skinless lifeforms, their exposed muscles reminding   
her of Zaytan from the game. They had expressionless faces, mouths dropped   
as if in surprise, but eyes not showing it. Those eyes were so blank....  
  
They were holding knives, and slowly moved toward her in a zombieish   
fashion.  
  
Frisket jumped on them. Andraia was too close to the dog to use the sword,   
so she extended her nails and proceeded to rip through the monsters   
nearby.  
  
They were taken care of rather quickly.  
  
Now that the fight was over, Andraia looked around. They were in what   
seemingly used to be a library. Books were scattered all over the floor.  
  
She noticed just then that she was standing on one.  
  
On the page it said:  
  
A dark, dark tale:  
In the dark, dark woods there was a dark, dark house.  
In the dark, dark house there was a dark, dark hall.  
In the dark, dark hall there were some dark, dark stairs.  
Over the dark, dark stairs tehre was a dark, dark room.  
In the dark, dark room there was a dark, dark cupboard.  
In the dark, dark cupboard there was a dark, dark corner.  
In the dark, dark corner there was a dark, dark box.  
In the dark, dark box there was...........A MOUSE!  
  
Andraia remembered this story. Enzo told it to her. That was a funny tale   
in itself. Just at the punchline, Mouse had snuck up on him.......  
  
***  
Flashback  
***  
  
"......In the dark, dark box there was............"  
  
"ME!" Mouse yelled while tickling him under the armpits. Andraia and Mouse   
both laughed as he jumped about ten feet.  
  
"You should have seen the look on his face!" Andraia said while laughing   
out loud.  
  
"Oh, don't worry, sugar, I will. I just gotta get me the security videos   
for the room. Maybe if we get back online, I'll send 'em to 'Net's   
Funniest Videos........"  
  
If the look on Enzo's face hadn't been priceless before, it definitely was   
now.  
  
Dot had entered the room to find Mouse and Andraia in a game of "Monkey in   
the Middle" with a video disk, with Enzo desperately trying to catch it.  
  
***  
End Flashback  
***  
  
Despite her situation, Andraia laughed. Any happy memory right now was   
like a miracle from heaven. Frisket looked up at her, with those puppy   
eyes. Andraia sometimes wondered if dogs understood more than they let on.  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted by a small squeaking sound. On ordinary rat   
was poking its nose around the piles of books, looking for who knows what.  
  
Frisket growled, but Andraia held him back. The dog quieted down as the   
rat pushed one of the books away with its tiny hands to reveal a small box   
and a nest of baby rats.  
  
How something so cute could be hidden inside this twisted perversion of   
the system was beyond her. It was almost as if the rats represented hope   
itself.  
  
The mother rat looked up at her, staring with its shiny black eyes. It   
pushed the book back over the box, and walked right up to Andraia. It then   
turned around, walked a short distance, then turned back to Andraia,   
looking at her as if wating for an answer.  
  
Maybe she was supposed to follow the rat?  
  
The rat led her through another hall, then down a new set of stairs. When   
she got to the first floor, the rat continued down a set of basement   
stairs. There hadn't been basement stairs in the hall she started from.  
  
The hallways were disturbing. Somewhere behind the rotted walls, she   
thought she could see hanging corpses. Wasn't that technically impossible?   
Unless they were still alive...........eeeewwwww............  
  
The rat stopped at a door. It stood on its hind legs, waving its hands in   
the air, as if to indicate the door.  
  
"Thank you." Andraia didn't know what else to say. She'd been helped by a   
rat?  
  
The rat nodded............or seemed to, and scurried off. Maybe the rodent   
had been that glad to see something other than a monster?  
  
Andraia opened the door and looked inside. It seemed to be a small room   
with some machinery running. The floor inside was less stable then the   
flooring in the other places in the school. Even the metal grate and   
fences were rotting in front of her, and only darkness was past them.  
  
She spotted a figure huddled in the corner. Frisket happily barked and   
rushed ahead of her. Andraia knew that cuold only mean one thing.  
  
"Enzo!"  
  
She rushed up to him. He was in much worse shape then before. He shivered   
and mumbled in a state of fitful sleep. His skin was damp and hot to the   
touch. Andraia cradled him, feeling tears coming on almost immediately.   
She'd found him, but would she get him out of this alive?  
  
He groaned, then opened his good eye. As soon as he recognized Andraia, he   
sat up and hugged her tightly, crying into her shoulder like a small,   
scared child.  
  
Suddenly, the scenery began to melt away into what appeared to be a normal   
boiler room.  
  
But then, a roar of anger came from somewhere, and the twisted version of   
the world returned in an instant, more degraded than before.  
  
And the floor collapsed below her.  
  
But? This was a basement!  
  
She landed on something hard. Enzo was a few feet in front of her, and   
Frisket was nowhere to be seen.  
  
A pair of glowing white eyes were visible in the darkness.  
  
"Your influence on him is stronger than I imagined," said a voice from the   
direction of the eyes.  
  
"Andraia! Don't let her infect you!" Enzo called out. Andraia lept as some   
strange tentacle lashed out at her. Andraia dodged.  
  
"What's wrong little girl? Don't wanna go to sleep just yet? It doesn't   
matter, the more fearful you are, the more powerful I become when I   
finally have you," said the virus as she lashed out at her again.   
This time, Andraia slashed at the tentacles. Liquid poured from the   
severed appendages as the virus screamed.  
  
The virus dissappeared altogether. Then, so did everything else.   
Everything went dark.  
  
Andraia woke up in the school music room. Frisket was gone, Enzo was gone,   
Glitch was spitting out some angry gibberish about interference, and the   
darkness was gone......  
  
The music room was a normal school room, bathed in a faint white light   
from sunlight reflecting off the snowfall outside. It was still foggy, in   
fact, even inside the room it was foggy. But it was........normal.  
  
"She feeds off fear. Was that her, or some illusion? Glitch? Are you okay?"  
  
More angry gibberish, but the keytool finally beeped that it was fine.  
  
"Did it happen? Or was it some kind of nightmare?"  
  
Glitch had been out cold from the interference, and couldn't answer.  
  
"Glitch, is Enzo okay?"  
  
The map again. He was at the principal office. How...........?  
  
"Okay, then. Let's get out of here." 


	7. As the sun goes down....

***  
Chapter 7  
And the sun goes down.....  
***  
  
The city was quiet, but the fog wasn't as thick as before. The snow had   
been replaced by a gentle rain and an occasional rumble of distant   
thunder. In this city with more trees than she had ever seen in her   
life, the rain had a peaceful feel to Andraia, as well as a curious feel.   
Her AI programming was working at a level she hadn't remembered since her   
first day in Mainframe. In any other situation, Andraia would have   
enjoyed the rain. But not today.  
  
She wondered what the system was like before the viral takeover. Did   
people enjoy trees and rain? Or were they considered everyday and   
commonplace?  
  
The monsters appeared to be gone.....for now. But the lack of people   
still frightened her. Maybe at the principal office, there would be   
somebody who knew something.  
  
She jumped at the sudden noise of a null dashing out of a trash can. It   
slid down a sewer drain.  
  
Hmm........thats right. She hadn't seen many nulls here either. Maybe the   
virus could infect nulls as well?  
  
She heard what sounded like a fight, and readied her sword. She ran toward   
the noise, dashing around a corner, to find............  
  
A police officer was angrily kicking at his CPU patrol car.  
  
"Stupid thing! OPEN ALREADY!"  
  
Some of the kicks had left small dents in the fiberglass. Andraia couldn't   
help laughing at the cop's little tantrum. The cop turned toward her.  
  
"What's so funny?"  
  
"You!"  
  
The cop sighed, gave his car another kick for good measure, then turned to   
Andraia.  
  
"Nothing works since the infection. All electronics are dead and there's   
no sign of anything living except nulls, a few animals, and the   
occasional monster. I guess I needed a little stress relief. Glad to see   
somebody else made it."  
  
"Actually, another lady is still alive. She said that if I saw anybody, to   
send them to the principal office."  
  
"Really? And what lady would that be?"  
  
"I don't know. But she was yellow, with orange hair with blue eyes."  
  
"Heh, that would be Carrot. At least I'm hoping it's Carrot."  
  
"Carrot?"  
  
"She's the command.com. Don't you know?"  
  
"Um, no. I'm not from this system."  
  
The policeman looked at her seriously. "If you're not from here, then   
where are you from? We don't know of any other systems."  
  
"I'm an AI game sprite. I hacked myself out by placing my icon on that of   
a system sprite. I guess they made me too smart for the game." Andraia   
grinned. "But that didn't happen here. It happened in Mainframe. There a   
way was discovered to leave with the game so that we wouldn't be nullified   
if we lost...........and well, we lost." Andraia's tone changed. "I wish I   
knew where Enzo was. After we got out of the game, we were   
attacked..........but he was hurt so bad from the game.............."  
  
The cop looked at her with a puzzled expression, and Andraia sighed.  
  
"Sorry, I'm rambling........."  
  
"No, that's okay. I'm just trying to piece it all together. I mean, first   
a virus takes over completely, and now this.............There are   
things I never would have considered happening until a couple seconds   
ago. It's been strange." He paused. "By the way, my name's James. And you   
are?"  
  
"Andraia. Nice to meet you."  
  
"Well, we should probably head towards the PO as you said."  
  
"It's still a long walk, isn't it?"  
  
"Well, we don't really have to walk. That's why I'm trying to get my car   
open, but even the locks aren't working."  
  
"Stand back.........."  
  
"Say WHAT?"  
  
Andraia drew her sword and slashed through the lock before the cop could   
even blink. The trunk of the car slowly opened while the cop gaped.  
  
"Err........what kind of game did you come from anyway?"  
  
"This wasn't from the game. I just used to know somebody who had a thing   
for swords."  
  
"Oy. Remind me never to get you angry."   
  
The cop reached inside the trunk and pulled out two compressed files   
while muttering something about "crazy sword kid". After he tapped both of   
the files, they expanded into two ordinary bicycles.  
  
"Primitive, but it's the best thing we got without power. I just hope the   
enviornment stays stable or we're dead meat."  
  
Andraia followed the cop on the bike. They were headed in the direction of   
a bridge. Across the bridge was the business sector of the town. From   
there, it was only several blocks to the principal office.  
  
The building was an office building style setup. A glass and metal   
building that was relatively close to the ground, maybe not even three   
stories high. Andraia guessed that this city had some kind of strict   
building code, as none of the buildings here were very tall, especially   
since the buildings in Mainframe were huge.   
  
She dismounted her bike and looked around. Trees were placed all around   
the building in an orderly fashion. A park with fountains (which were not   
running) was just in front of the building. A soccer field was to the   
side, with an adjoining playground.  
  
"Okay, I'm going in first, in case there's anything in there. Stay close!"   
James said, pulling out his gun.  
  
The halls inside were quiet. Stone tile lined the floor, and the walls   
were a warm brown color. Rooms and signs pointing whatever PO employees   
to their jobs were around every corner. An occasional vending machine or   
drinking fountain dotted the hallways.  
  
Andraia heard a faint sound of somebody lightly stepping behind her, and   
twirled around ready to attack, hissing and extending her nails.......  
  
"WHOA! IT'S ME!"  
  
Andraia's nails retracted as she found Carrot standing behind her, arms   
raised as if to deflect a blow. James looked like he was about to have a   
heart attack.  
  
"Geez, Carrot, why do you always insist on sneaking up on people like   
that?"  
  
"Well, I had to find out who was snooping around, you goof!"  
  
"You could have just yelled "Hello" or something," James said while   
putting his gun in it's holster.  
  
"Well, if you'd been a monster, the minute I'd yelled "Hello", I would   
have a bit of a fight on my hands, wouldn't I? Besides, I've seen some   
different mutants pop up. Ones taller than sprites."  
  
"Goody," James replied sarcastically. Carrot turned to Andraia.  
  
"Nice to know you made it out alive. I didn't know you had retractable   
claws."  
  
"You make me sound like a cat."  
  
"She's not from this system," James explained. "She's a game sprite who   
hacked herself out so that she could live as a system sprite."  
  
"Really? That's interesting. Well, if we ever get out of this, you're   
welcome to stay."  
  
"Thanks, but I need to find Enzo and leave with the next game."  
  
"Hey, wait a sec. I found another kid out there. Couldn't get much out of   
him though, I think he was afraid of me. But I brought him back here. He's   
pretty badly hurt. Couldn't do much without power except apply   
disinfectant and bandage him up."  
  
"Can I see him?"  
  
"Sure, come on. And James, follow me. When we get there, we need to talk   
and see about figuring out our situation."  
  
Carrot led them to a room on the second floor, where her office was.   
Enzo was inside, asleep on a couch, covered in a blanket. His head was   
wrapped with gauze. Andraia ran up to him. He was'nt as bad as the   
shape she'd found him in at the school. He was much cleaner, and dressed   
in some fresh clothes. His fever was a bit lower, and he seemed more   
peaceful in sleep than before. Carrot had obviosly done a lot of work on   
him.  
  
"Poor kid. Found him delirious in a ditch. He was infected by that Claudia   
virus. I managed to disinfect him but he's still in pretty bad shape. I'm   
guessing there's another infection from the cut. That's what's making him   
sick."  
  
"Claudia?" Andraia asked.   
  
James responded to her question. "It's a virus that causes hallucinations.   
Some people infect themselves willingly for the side effects. This town   
has a strange history about it. I've been trying to figure it out for   
literally days now. (Author's note: Yes, people. In ReBoot time.) What   
I've found is that there are two parts to this virus, a host and a client   
virus. The client virus can access an infected sprite's brain and mess   
with it."  
  
"Then the virus I saw in the school must have been Claudia!"  
  
"Say what? You saw her?"  
  
"Yes. She had these crazy tentacles and white eyes with no irises. That's   
all I saw of her. She tried to infect me. It was at the   
school..........sort of..........."  
  
"Sort of?"  
  
"It was the school, only it wasn't. It's like everything changed into this   
twisted alternate version of itself. An alternate world or something."  
  
Andraia told the other sprites everything she knew about this alternate   
world, and about her idea that maybe the virus was feeding off nightmares.   
The sprites looked at each other.   
  
"You think maybe the client side virus is trying to acess the system   
through the sprites?" James asked.  
  
"I think it already has," Carrot replied. "Think about it. Nearly every   
sprite in the system has dissappeared. I'm thinking that when Claudia, the   
server virus, infects a sprite, the client side doesn't just change their   
mental functions, it might change their entire biological makeup! The   
client virus may literally be converting these sprites into other   
viruses."  
  
"If all this is true Carrot, and if these kids are really from an outer   
system, then your theories are true!"  
  
"Of course they're true!" Carrot snapped. "What I'm more worried about is   
this alternate world that Andraia keeps describing. I think that once the   
server side of the virus has converted enough sprites, the converted   
sprites will completely change the system and allow the client side   
complete access to the system through this alternate world Andraia   
mentioned."  
  
Andraia wasn't listening to the conversation anymore. The room was   
getting darker. It was a more natural dark, as nighttime was   
approaching. She sat on the couch, pulling Enzo's head into her lap. He   
groaned softly and winced, but didn't give any other response. Leaning   
against the back of the couch, she fell asleep. 


	8. Don't lay down and die........

***  
Chapter 8  
Don't lay down and die  
***  
  
It was red.  
  
A dark red.  
  
Some brown.  
  
A crusty red and brown.  
  
Andraia stared in shock and horror at the world around her. It was   
happening again. The world had changed. It was dark except for the small   
amount of light her flashlight gave.  
  
Something in the distance, a white light in the form of a sprite, but not   
really, was just barely visible. She ran toward it.   
  
The sprite turned toward her. She was pure white. Hair, eyes, everything   
was white. Her outfit, a toga, made her look like a roman statue. A crown   
of flowers was on her head. Around her neck was a geometric symbol of some   
kind that Andraia didn't recognize. An icon of some type, perhaps?  
  
The sprite had an air of divinity about her. She radiated with white   
light and hovered slightly above the ground, her face showing that of   
pure content. She looked peaceful enough, but something about her was   
completely............wrong.  
  
"Are you Claudia?" Andraia asked?  
  
"No," said the sprite. A simple no.  
  
"Then what are you?"  
  
"I am the future of the 'net. I require this system to build up my   
resources. Once I have established base here, I will send Claudia ahead of   
me to the next one."  
  
"What have you done here? What did you do with all the people?"  
  
"That was not me, that was Claudia. She prepares a system for my arrival.   
Once I have gained complete control, I will give them more beautiful   
forms than they could possibly imagine. They will willingly help me in   
return. And I need you and your friend to help me."  
  
"I won't help you. Whatever you've done to this system can't be good."  
  
"I can help him......"  
  
"What?"  
  
"I can help your friend. Make him better. He will never know pain again."  
  
"Yeah right."  
  
"You don't believe I have such power?"  
  
"You were trying to kill him!"  
  
"Certainly not! Claudia was preparing him for my arrival. Once I have   
control, I can manipulate it as I wish."  
  
"You're disgusting, you're evil, you're insulting my intelligence, and   
you're a terrible actress!" Andraia screamed as she drew her sword and   
slashed the virus right in half.  
  
Then she woke up.  
  
She was still sitting on the couch. The room was mostly dark, but it was   
lit by a dim light source from the center of the room. Carrot was asleep   
at her desk with only a glow stick for light. She was snoring   
lightly, and drooling on a vidwindow that seemed to be monitoring the   
system status. James was nowhere to be seen.   
  
"Andraia?"  
  
Enzo was slill laying across her lap like he had been when she fell asleep.  
He was awake, and looking right up at her.   
  
"Hi, how are you feeling?"  
  
"Everything hurts, my back's itchy, and I'd sell my soul for a   
cheeseburger about now."  
  
"Ugh, don't say that. Especially with these viruses around. I think   
that's exactly what they want from us. Are you hungry?"  
  
"Yeah. I don't think I've eaten anything since we left Mainframe."  
  
Now that Andraia thought about it, she hadn't either. Maybe she hadn't   
noticed her hunger since she'd dealt with some pretty unappetizing stuff   
this past second. Now she WAS noticing it. Her stomach grumbled.  
  
"I think I'll go find something to eat. Stay here."  
  
"Like I'm going anywhere......." Enzo said sarcastically. Andraia figured   
he was right though. He was probably too weak to move around much at this   
point.  
  
The halls of the PO were dark and lonely. Andraia's flashlight provided   
little comfort. There were a few refridgerators in the building, but   
everything inside was spoiled. She found a few nonperishable foods: Chef   
Grease-aredee Canned Pasta, some canned vegetables, condensed soup, etc.   
She noted that the food was in some kind of food drive storage room, for   
the homeless or something. Well, other than her and Enzo, there wasn't   
anybody left to give the food to. She grabbed some bottled juice and left   
the room.  
  
Going back to one of the rooms with the refridgerator, she found some   
plastic forks. She went back to Carrot's office. Enzo was quietly talking   
to Glitch, but stopped when she came through the door. She didn't bother   
asking questions.  
  
After helping Enzo into a sitting position and using her fingernails to   
pry the cans open, she and Enzo ate silently right out of the cans. She   
kinda wished she was back in Mainframe, where she at least had a working   
microwave to heat the food, even when trapped inside the Principal office.   
Of course, there was no such luxury here in the dead system. How many   
other systems on the net were like this?   
  
She had no idea what Enzo was thinking at the time, but she knew it   
couldn't be good. But to her surprise, he started giggling at something.  
  
"What is it?" She asked.  
  
He held up one of the cans. Alphabet soup.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Remember when you first saw a can of alphabet soup? You went crazy with   
the letters. Later on you found one of Dot's financial reports and started   
lining up the letters right on top of the ones on the paper. Then Dot came   
in and found her papers covered in tomato soup. I swear she turned   
purple!"  
  
He burst out laughing. Andraia stared at him, almost ready to cry. She   
hadn't seen him laugh since leaving Mainframe. The laughter didn't last   
long, he winced, wrapping his arms around his chest, as if in great pain,   
but that didn't stop a few more giggles from escaping. Andraia put her   
arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug as he sat there, panting.  
  
"Shh, calm down. You're still hurt," Andraia said.  
  
"Oww........yeah, but I feel great," he said, smiling weakly at her.   
"Andraia, I promise that someday we'll get home. I don't know how, but we   
have to."  
  
Carrot stirred, then sat up, stretching. Realizing something, she quickly   
turned around and wiped the small amount of drool off her face. The two   
small sprites both started laughing.  
  
"Oh sure, go ahead and laugh! That's what I get for helping you!" she said   
humorously.  
  
"Well, I might as well say this since you're up," Enzo said, looking at   
Glitch. "I was talking to Glitch, and I remembered that one time a   
codemaster was attacking Mainframe. Bob went into the game with the   
codemaster, and tried to use it to nullify him......well........until he   
found out I was there."  
  
"Yes, go on?" Carrot said.  
  
"Well, there's one thing we have that Bob didn't," Enzo said, grinning.  
  
"And what's that?"  
  
"This," Enzo said, tapping his icon as it went into Game Sprite mode.   
"Makes us 100% game-proof. We both know that too well," he said, looking   
at Andraia sadly.  
  
"Interesting. Nullify the virus. But a game would have to drop on both   
Claudia and the client virus to destroy them completely. Even then, we   
don't really know if it'll work."  
  
"Yeah, I haven't figured that part out yet, but I think to do that, we   
have to let the virus take over. I don't know if you want to risk that.   
It's your system."  
  
"Not like there's much left of it," Carrot said grimly. "Without sprites   
and binomes the system cannot function for long. We may barely be able to   
support a game. But I don't think letting the virus take over is the   
answer. Who would lure the virus to the game?"  
  
"Wait," Andraia said. "When I was in that alternate world or whatever,   
that's when Enzo was infected. She may only need one more sprite."  
  
Everyone exchanged nervous glances, as James walked in the room.   
  
"She's right," He said. "Claudia only needs one more sprite to allow the   
client virus access to the system. But there's more. The virus does in   
fact feed off nightmares, but also aids in creating that nightmare with   
the hallucinogenic properties of the infection. The infected sprites   
then become the nightmare and are irreperable once they change into a   
monster. Claudia controls the monsters directly, and the client virus   
controls Claudia. Once enough sprites are infected, the system they're   
running is opened to the client's control."  
  
"So this system is as good as dead anyway," Carrot sighed. "Maybe we   
should all leave with the game." She walked to the window. "I'll miss this   
place, I've been here my whole life, but what can I do? Besides, I've   
always been curious about other systems." She sighed. "Alright, here's the   
deal. Game comes down, we make a break for it. James, the core control   
chamber should still be online. See if you can get some power so we can   
have some kind of vehicle to make a break for the game when it comes."  
  
"Alright."  
  
"I'll see if I can get out there and find the remaining sprites."  
  
"How will you find them?" Enzo asked.  
  
"I'm not sure, really, but what else can I do?" she said, opening one of   
her cupboards and pulling out a rifle, which she casually cleaned while   
talking, as if she did this all the time. "Andraia, you and Enzo know the   
most about this virus. See if you can devise some sort of bait to get the   
virus to follow us into the game. I'll give everybody a disinfecting   
program just in case Claudia shows up and leaves you a surprise. If that   
happense use it as soon as possible. I'm outta here." She picked up the   
rifle and a bag of ammo, and walked quickly out the door.  
  
Would she be seen again?  
  
***  
  
She didn't know how long she'd been asleep. Something was nudging her face   
gently. Something wet........  
  
Her eyes opened slowly, groggily. Frisket was on top of her. He whined.  
  
"Frisket?"  
  
She sat up, looking around.  
  
She and Enzo were both laying on the ground. It was dark. It felt sticky   
underneath. An unusual heat could be felt radiating from everywhere. The   
floor was once again a rotting metal grate. The air was muggy and a rancid   
smell reached her nose.   
  
She grabbed her flashlight and pointed it around the room. The remains of   
a desk were smashed into the ground, and various objects were scattered   
about. The walls were filthy, and looked like they had some kind of   
strange material growing on them. A cracked vidwindow was fizzing on the   
ground. Some sections of the floor were still tile, others were missing   
completely.  
  
No noise, either from monsters or from Glitch could be heard. At least not   
yet. Frisket whined again.  
  
"Were you trapped here, Frisket?" Andraia asked.  
  
The dog barked in answer.  
  
"Too bad I don't speak dog." She sighed, and looked around. "I wonder how   
long I was asleep. I don't even remember falling asleep."  
  
Frisket whined and turned his head toward Enzo, as if to indicate him.  
  
Andraia quickly moved to his side. His fever was higher than before. He   
groaned and opened his eye to look up at Andraia.  
  
"Enzo? Are you okay?"  
  
"Something's happening. I don't know..............."  
  
Andraia gathered him in her arms. There was a strange expression on his   
face.  
  
"Enzo, what is it?"  
  
"I can feel something........I don't understand. I think Bob told me once   
that guardians could sometimes sense trouble before it happens. I'm not   
sure how it works though."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I think the client is already here..............Andraia, I'm scared. I   
don't know what to do. It hurts......."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Everywhere. And the guardian code keeps telling me I have to do   
something. But I don't know what to do. I've never fought a virus   
before........."  
  
"Yes you have......."  
  
"What? When?"  
  
"When I was at the school. You kept helping me somehow. You showed me how   
to find you. You fought her control. You knew I was trapped, and you saved   
me."  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
"Don't you remember telling me not to let Claudia infect me?"  
  
"Well............yeah."  
  
"That was at the school. While I was there, it was as if somebody was   
dropping hints as to where you were. Hints that only we would understand.   
I think somehow you were speaking to me through the infection. You used it   
against her. Somehow you were leading me to you."  
  
"I don't remember anything."  
  
Suddenly, Glitch fell off Enzo's arm as white noise echoed through the   
room.  
  
A loud thumping noise was heard outside, and a strange groan. Something   
thumped on the door. Then again. And again.  
  
Then the door burst open.  
  
Carrot stood there, skin sticky with drying blood, with a blank look on   
her face. She stood pigeon toed, bent in strange angles all around,   
carrying her shotgun in one hand. Her firing hand looely moved upward, as   
if controlled by puppet strings, and started firing random shots into the   
air.  
  
Andraia grabbed Enzo and dove for cover behind the desk. Frisket dove   
behind her. The dog had had enough experience with shotguns in the past.  
  
Several clicks told Andraia that Carrot was out of ammo. She extended   
her nails and fired them toward the infected sprite. A thump was heard.  
  
She slowly peeked over the top of the desk. Carrot was face down on the   
rotting floor. But there was a strange hump on her back. It was squirming,   
apparently in alarm.  
  
Some strange creature, like a baby with a tail instead of legs, had   
attatched itself to Carrot's back. Extending her nails again, she dug them   
right into the creature's flesh. It released its hold on Carrot and fell   
limp. Andraia threw it down, and stepped on it.  
  
Andraia then examined Carrot. She was okay, but out cold. The creature had   
controlled Carrot by sending some kind of signal to her brain. The blood   
came from a bite mark on Carrot's back. That thing was some sort of   
vampire. Right in front of Andraia's eyes, the wound closed up, as if it   
had never been there. Andraia remembered the disinfecting programs that   
Carrot had given her, and attatched one of them to Carrot's icon. It   
dissolved into it.  
  
Carrot woke up almost immediately, and started scratching her back.  
  
"Man, that itches. What happened?"  
  
"Claudia got you."  
  
Carrot looked around, gaping at the remains of her office.  
  
"Is this the alternate world you were talking about?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Both Carrot and Andraia gasped as the world morphed in front of them to   
it's natural state. The office looked as if the fight had never happened. 


	9. Cry to the Angels

***  
Chapter 9  
Cry to the angels  
***  
  
Carrot walked through the door, sighing. In frustration, she backfisted a   
vidwindow, sending it shattering into the wall.  
  
"I was thinking...."  
  
Andraia looked up at Carrot. Outside, it was pitch black. Sometime   
earlier, the world had morphed into a halfway point between the other   
world and the normal system.  
  
"Why bother leading the virus into the game?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"At this point, a lost game would crash the system. There's almost   
nothing left in the core. If a game came down, it would be attracted   
straight to the P.O.. I say forget the quick nullification and let   
the virus delete in her own wreckage."  
  
Andraia sighed and looked down at Enzo, who was out cold on the couch,   
shivering in his sleep. Frisket slept next to him, protectively. "I don't   
care anymore. I just want out of here."  
  
"It's settled then." Carrot sighed and looked out the window. "I'm the   
last live sprite from this system. I just checked the system stats.   
Anybody who was out there is dead. I don't know what happened to James.   
Only four PIDs left, and we're it."  
  
Andraia felt a chill run up her back. This was insane. Nobody? Not even   
the goofy police officer who had been fighting with his car when she met   
him?  
  
There was nothing else she could do. She cried.  
  
Carrot sat down and put her arms around her. For a child to be put into a   
situation like this.............  
  
The world morphed completely. Andraia put Glitch on her belt, as the   
interference kept the keytool from being much use.  
  
Frisket whined, noticing the change. Andraia found that the air felt   
thinner. It was getting harder and harder to breathe.  
  
Andraia gathered Enzo into her arms. He slept away, unknowing of what was   
going on around him.  
  
His image faded in front of her. He flickered in and out of being like a   
ghost. Carrot shook her head.  
  
"Great. The enviornment's shutting down. The core doesn't have enough   
energy to support us anymore. He's already low on energy, so he's gonna   
start feeling it first."  
  
Andraia gasped in alarm, holding Enzo close to her.  
  
"Please hold on, Enzo. I'll get you out of here."  
  
He didn't answer. The flickering steadily grew worse. Carrot flopped down   
into the remains of her desk chair. At this moment, giving up seemed to   
be the easiest option. But she couldn't give up. Not without being   
answered.   
  
"WHY?!" She screamed to the sky. "WHY!?!" Then she cried.  
  
A long, uncomfortable silence followed, broken only by her sobs.  
  
A sound reached her ears. Different from the sounds of the monsters. It   
was much stronger. And...............familiar.  
  
She stopped crying and concentrated on the sound.  
  
"What?" Carrot asked.  
  
"I can hear something. An energy buildup."  
  
***WARNING! INCOMING GAME!***  
  
Carrot jumped from her chair and looked out the window. The game was   
directly above them.  
  
"Talk about timing," Carrot said.  
  
Andraia felt a sudden surge of hope as the violet energy surrounded them.  
  
The air was clean, easy to breathe, and full of energy................so   
full. The air in the system had been so empty, that she'd almost forgotten   
what game energy had felt like.  
  
Before doing anything else, she laid Enzo down against a tree. They were   
in what looked like a forest. She changed his icon to game sprite mode.  
  
"Frisket, stay with him."   
  
The dog stood next to him, fire in his eyes.  
  
"Okay Carrot? I need you to reboot then I need your Icon."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"This is the only way to survive the game."  
  
They both rebooted at the same time. Carrot cautiously handed over her   
icon, watching Andraia's face for anything suspicious. No response, but an   
innocent face of a child.  
  
Carrot's icon was handed back to her in a new triangular shape.  
  
"You can go back to system sprite mode by clicking it once. Don't do that   
until I tell you."  
  
"Got it."  
  
***  
  
"I have paved the way for you, my lady."  
  
"You have done well, but you are a terrible decorator."  
  
"I am sorry, It is part of my code."  
  
"All is forgiven. This is our last infection as separate viruses. I must   
prepare for my upgrade. Then I can leave with the game. And Claudia?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"You shouldn't have bothered trying to trick that girl with that dream   
sequence. You are a terrible actress."  
  
Claudia stormed off muttering........  
  
***  
  
"There's the user."  
  
Andraia and Carrot were watching the user from behind a tree. He was a   
knight on a horse.  
  
"Remember, lead him to the sunstone, but don't touch it. He has to win."  
  
"Got it."  
  
***  
  
The monsters gathered, one at a time in front of the client. She touched   
each on the head, and they dissolved into the air. Each time this   
happened, the client virus glowed a little.  
  
"Now for the finish," the client said as Claudia moved towards her.  
  
The viruses moved together as if they were mirror images. Until they   
walked right into each other. But instead of bumping heads, they merged.  
  
A green glow lit up the entire system as brightly as daylight, but only   
for a moment.  
  
"Now is the time," said the resulting virus, as she flew towards the game   
cube.  
  
Upon touching it, she glowed momentarily, and then dissolved in the same   
manner the monsters had. A spot on the cube glowed. That was it.  
  
***GAME OVER! USER WINS!***  
  
Nothing was left but a hollow shell of crumbling buildings. Even the nulls   
had been absorbed by the virus. The crash was quick. If it made a sound,   
nobody was there to hear it. 


	10. Oceans of Stars

***  
Epilogue  
Oceans of Stars  
***  
  
Warmth.  
  
It was a gentle warmth. Like laying out on a sandy beach.  
  
No sand though. No waves either.  
  
Just warmth.  
  
Maybe that was a machine whirring in the background.  
  
Slight pain in some areas. Not too bad. He'd felt worse before.  
  
Where was he anyway?  
  
Memories started coming through. Just barely. A dying system, a virus.....  
  
He was afraid to open his eyes...err....eye. What if he looked, and   
everything was the same? What if he opened his eye to find himself in   
that awful alternate world?  
  
What if everyone was dead?  
  
What if he was dead? Was this some kind of dream from a brain that was   
shutting down? Or some kind of afterlife?  
  
His curiosity got the better of him.  
  
Something felt strange about waking up. It felt too natural. His vision   
was too clear. He was staring up at ceiling tiles.  
  
Maybe it all had been an awful dream?  
  
Not likely. Glancing down to the corner, he discovered Carrot   
slumped in a chair, asleep, a bit of drool hanging from her mouth.  
  
Darn. But if Carrot was here then they had made it. How much had he   
missed?  
  
Ugh....he had to stretch.  
  
He sat up, surprised at how little effort it took. His fever was gone, his   
chest didn't ache as much as before, and he felt much stronger. He looked   
around to find himself in a hospital room.   
  
He panicked. Andraia wasn't there. What if she hadn't made it?  
  
"Andraia?" he called out. "ANDRAIA?"  
  
Carrot woke up with a start, nearly falling out of her chair.  
  
"Sheesh, kid, you're supposed to stay quiet in a hospital."  
  
"Where's Andraia?"  
  
"Don't worry. She's just getting some food. She'll be back any   
nanosecond."  
  
He sighed and settled back into the bed. At least she was alright. He felt   
nervous though. If they were really in a hospital, how the heck was he   
going to pay for it? He and Andraia didn't bring much more than pocket   
change with them. How long had he been out?   
  
"How's your vision? Any better?" Carrot asked out of nowhere.  
  
"It's better. Much better. Were they able to fix my eye?"  
  
"Not really. They had to take it out. The infection was killing you and   
it was too badly damaged anyway. They put a glass one in. It won't   
work, it's mostly just decoration. But at least you won't have to squint   
to see like you were earlier."  
  
She held up a mirror. Aside from a scar on his face, he looked almost   
perfectly normal. He broght a hand up to his face and felt where the   
glass was. His eyelids didn't react as they should have when he put a   
finger on the glass. He couldn't see his hand.  
  
"They sealed it up with lazers," Carrot said. "So you don't have to worry   
about extra damage from stitches."  
  
"How am I gonna pay for this? I don't have anything........."  
  
Carrot sighed. "I had a vault full of stuff back home. City treasury   
wasn't gonna do anybody any good in an empty system. I figured I'd bring   
it with me."  
  
Carrot held up a bulging backpack. "Same OS, same money system. I   
practically got enough cash in here to buy the whole system. You know, if   
you kids want, you could live here with me. I don't have a home to go   
back to, and I'm afraid your chances of finding your home system are next   
to none. Andraia explained some of the stuff about the 'net to me. With   
all those systems out there......."  
  
Enzo sighed. It seemed that Carrot had everything covered. He almost   
wondered.......  
  
Did he really want to leave?  
  
He thought about it. They were in what looked like a perfectly stable   
system. Looking out the window, he saw a clear sky. Cars flew by, honking   
horns and getting into traffic jams in as normal a setting as possible.  
  
"I'll think about it. I'm not sure though.............."  
  
"I understand."  
  
The door opened, and Andraia walked in. It was a happy reunion, despite   
the seemingly hopeless situation.  
  
***  
  
It was a nighttime setup. A darkened twilight sky, with some sparkles in   
the sky to imitate stars.   
  
It was funny. Despite how little sprites knew about the users, it was   
strange how much they modelled their life after them. Most of what they   
learned was from the games. And that wasn't much.  
  
There was a large grass field, with a few hills. Enzo lay on top of one,   
staring at the sky. Past that skydome, was the net. A huge void that would   
lead to an infinite number of systems.  
  
Most of them were closed. Even if he could get past it..........  
  
He wondered how many systems a game would pass by.  
  
Would the game evengivehim half a chance to get home?  
  
He thought about Bob......lost in a place he wouldn't recognize. Their   
situations were similar. He was sure of that.  
  
"Enzo?"  
  
Andraia interrupted his thoughts. He sat up and turned around?  
  
"Enzo? What are you doing out here so late?"  
  
"Couldn't sleep."  
  
"Had enough sleep to last forever, huh?"  
  
"Yeah." They both laughed, sat in silence, gazing upward.  
  
"Carrot asked us to live with her," Andraia said.  
  
"I know."  
  
"What do you think?"  
  
"I'm not sure. I mean, it's so easy...............but I miss Mainframe. I   
don't know our chances of getting back, and they've most likely given us   
up for dead anyway. But I feel like If I don't try, then I've lost   
something."  
  
"The question would always be hanging. Would we have gotten back?"  
  
"Yeah. I don't want to live here with that hanging over me. It'd be   
torture. Besides....." He turned to her, looking into her eyes. "I made a   
promise."  
  
Andraia hugged him.   
  
"So, next game comes......."  
  
"And we're outta here."  
  
"I hope we get back soon."  
  
"I don't know. I have a feeling we're gonna be gone for a very long time.   
I hope we're up to it."  
  
"I am if you are."  
  
They sat there awhile. Just staring at the sky. Enzo felt like he could   
fall asleep right on the grass. His eyes were starting to close when   
something jumped on him. He was greeted with some big wet doggy kisses.  
  
"Eep! Frisket!"  
  
Andraia laughed at the scene, but suddenly stopped as a sound reached her   
ears...  
  
"Andraia? What is it?"  
  
"I hear something........."  
  
***WARNING! INCOMING GAME!***  
  
They both looked at each other, smiling. They both got out zipboards and   
raced for the game, with Frisket trailing behind.  
  
That was the last time they were ever seen in that system. When the game   
lifted, a hastily scribbled note was left behind.  
  
Carrot,  
  
If you find this, We just  
want you to know that we're   
on our way home. Someday we'll  
make it. Dunno when. Thank  
you for all you've done for   
us.  
Andraia  
  
***  
  
A game may travel many places. This particular one was seated right in the   
middle of the supercomputer. While the game was running, a flash of light   
came from the side of the cube as the virus emerged. Her target was now   
right in front of her.  
  
She could easily detect the greatest power source in the system by her   
senses. Flying towards the principal office, through hovering   
neighborhoods over an endless horizon of sand dunes, she landed right on   
the steps of the principal office, claiming the city with only a touch.  
  
"I am Daemon!"  
  
***  
  
The End? Never! 


End file.
